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Public Comment for Council Meetings in the COVID Era
Public comment has been reinstated for Council Work Sessions and Council Meetings. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic additional public comment protocols have been put in place to ensure that everyone stays healthy during this time. The meetings will remain online until in-person meetings ar…Council Swearing-In
I had the honor of addressing those gathered, COVID-19 style, for the swearing-in ceremony for the four new and eight returning Council Members. Here are my remarks.Greetings and a warm welcome to everyone. Thanks for joining us, whether in person or watching remotely to accommodate COVID-19. Just …Council Role in Police Discipline
Recently I offered a proposal to add a section to Urban County Council Rules regarding the procedure for bringing forward recommendations to Council for discipline of police officers. Unfortunately, there has been some misunderstanding about both the procedure itself and my proposal regarding it, …Council Approves FAR ZOTA
After postponing the issue for a month, at its September 24 meeting Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council approved a Zone Text Amendment (ZOTA) that increases the floor area ratio (FAR) in residential zones R3, R4, R5. Here is a link to a map of the county showing those zones. I posted a brief des…What's a FAR ZOTA?
Floor Area Ratio Zone Text Amendment (FAR ZOTA)City Council is set to have a second reading of a proposed Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA) on September 24th. The proposed ZOTA would increase the allowable size and height of a building in relation to the square footage o…COVID and the Working Poor
Here is my recent Op Ed in the Herald-Leader:Start wherever you would like in your thinking about the disparate impacts of COVID-19 and you will always end up in the same place: we have too many people in our society who live too close to the margins, too many people who are liable to have their li…The "good trouble" of John Lewis
As an exchange student at Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1964 I did not know John Lewis but I was sometimes around him and others who became icons of the civil rights movement. John Lewis was by far the least polished among them, and the most angry, and the most willing to make some “good trouble”…The Protesters and Police, Part Two
Last week I wrote that we need not believe that we must choose to support either the protesters or the police, that such a choice is not necessary, and such a choice is not helpful. Now I add a few words that I should have included then, a few words of appreciation for the protesters and the police…The Protesters and the Police
I spoke these words at an LFUCG Council meeting this past Tuesday (06/16/2020). In the face of rising tensions and rising polarization, I post them now.I see a danger that people might feel they have to choose between the protesters and the police, as if you have to support one or the other, as if …The Case for Full Funding for Affordable Housing
The Mayor’s Proposed Budget for the coming Fiscal Year 2021 includes a cut of $1.8M from the $2M annual allocation to the city’s Affordable Housing Fund. Here, in a set of bullet points, is the case for restoring full funding.Background:There is a large and widening gap between earning power and co…ADUs: Current Status, Next Steps & Background
Current Status and Next StepsThe Planning Commission will continue to review a zoning ordinance text amendment (ZOTA) on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) next Monday (10/21/19) at 1:30 pm. You can find details about that Special Meeting here. The Commission can choose at that meeting to recommend a…
The Biggest Little Farm Screening - June 4, 2019
Friends, please consider attending an important screening of The Biggest Little Farm, a fundraising event sponsored by the Organic Association of Kentucky on Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at the Kentucky Theatre. The film follows the story of a couple who move from Los Angeles to start a new life closer t…
Council Begins Review of FY20 Budget
Mayor Linda Gorton proposed her budget on April 9, 2019. You can view a video of her public address here, read the text of her speech here, and review the full budget book PDF at this link. In short, the budget continues to support good services and programs, such as mental health courts, while…Lexington's New Administration and Council Take Shape
As 2019 begins, I am thankful to have the opportunity to serve in my third term as an At-Large Councilmember and in my second term as Lexington’s Vice Mayor. A new Council and Administration who share a commitment to public service join me, and I am excited to continue our community’s good work tow…
Proposal for a New City Hall
As readers of this blog might know, at the August 21, 2018 Work SessionCouncil voted to place on the docket a resolution authorizing Mayor Gray and his administration to begin negotiations for a new city hall with CRM, the winning bidder. Due to possible conflicts of interest, three Councilmembers…
New COACH Fellowship Program Accepting Applications
In the summer of 2017 the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust awarded Lexington $700,000 to coordinate the Civic Outreach, Advocacy, and Cooperative Hiring (COACH) Fellowship. The initiative supports community leadership development for young Black men. You can learn more about the grant by wa…
Dockless Bike Share Program Focuses on Flexibility
The City of Lexington has launched a bike share pilot program with Spin, a private company that provides the service at no cost to the city. If you have used bike sharing programs in Louisville or Cincinnati, Lexington‘s deployment is different–it is dockless. Dockless means you can check-out and…A New Look at the History and Costs of Segregated Housing
Richard Rothstein has a review in the New York Times of HIGH-RISERS: Cabrini-Green and the Fate of American Public Housing, by Ben Austen. While you may not have time to read the book, you should at least take time to read the review if you care to understand more about issues such as affordable h…
Results Show Community Efforts Helping the Homeless
Community Conversation on Homelessness in Lexington – March 9, 2018 Lexington faced an escalating problem. In 2005, 882 individuals and families were homeless. That number had grown to 1,544 by 2014. With the subsequent creation of the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention and the Af…